Category: Church

Mark 7:14-15, 21 Then he called the crowd again and said to them, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.’ For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come.

“My beloved, you are assaulted daily by the sinful ways of this wicked age. Where can you go that your eyes are not assaulted by what is offensive? My child, do all you can to avoid these things, and guard against letting these things take root in your heart. What is passively seen is not sinful—what is actively dwelt upon is a grave danger. If it takes root in your heart, it will be a great struggle for you to uproot it. Now is the time for the utmost vigilance. Ask your holy angel to protect you. Place the Cross of Christ before and behind you—let it surround you. Confess often. Children, this is an age filled with grave spiritual danger. Offer all you can in the Divine Will for the sake of those who have let their guard drop. They are many, and even within the Church! I am much offended. Pray!”

O my dear Father, I am heartily sorry for my part in your offendedness. In the Divine Will, through the Flame of Love, I repent of any lack of vigilance on my part. In your infinite mercy, send your holy angels to keep me from grave sin—from all sin! I ask all this in the Divine Will, through the Flame of Love, on behalf of everyone from Adam to the last man. Lord Jesus, have mercy on us all! For the sake of His sorrowful passion, Lord God, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen.

Acts 4:29-31 And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

“My children, imitate the first disciples and pray for boldness. Pray also for courage and fortitude. The Holy Spirit waits to be asked for a new infilling of these gifts, which you received in a measure at your Confirmation. Do not be afraid. I mean to work new wonders in this age, that all may believe. Yet happy are you who have not seen, and yet believe. Your faithfulness will be counted in your favor. Children, in your boldness do not forget kindness and humility. Imitate our Mother who always spoke the truth with kindness, gentleness, and abject humility, pointing always toward God and never to herself. That is why there is so little about her in Scripture. Yet I am making her more well-known to this generation because her merits, virtues, and perfections deserve to be emulated. Be bold like your Mother, who did not let fear keep her from the foot of the cross.”

My beloved Jesus, I praise you for the glorious gift and example our Mother is to us. May her prayers on our behalf win for us new boldness, humility, fortitude, courage, kindness, gentleness, and a new infilling of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, her glorious and most generous Spouse. We ask all these prayers in the Divine Will. Amen.

Acts 6:7 The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

“My beloved, how my heart longs for the day when the everlasting Word is found in every heart, when it is treasured, protected, and defended as the priceless treasure that it is, and when priests treasure The Word more than their own words. Much evil is done by even well-meaning priests who are so little acquainted with the Word made flesh that their words become a tool of the enemy and a trap for the faithful. But let this holy night fill you with great hope and joy! For even the apostles—all but one—failed in their duty as priests on Calvary. Yet what glory was accomplished in them through the Holy Spirit, and how, in the end, they glorified God and furthered the Kingdom. On this holy night, remember in a special way my priest-sons. Pray that they will learn to know the Word, love the Word and live the Word. Your prayers may be all that is lacking in a poor priest, and this will be counted against you at judgment. All the faithful have a role to play in building up the kingdom. Some are like the bricks in the parish church, but bricks without mortar are just a pile of bricks. Let your prayers be the mortar for those priests, so that they can succeed in what they were sent to do. I am near, my children. My mother sends her love and I join her in giving you an Easter blessing +.”

Oh Jesus, thank you! Blessed Mama, thank you! In the Divine Will, in the name of everyone, through the Flame of Love, I lift up all priests, especially those in my spiritual territory and those who have served me in any way during my lifetime. I ask that they would be held and protected in the Flame of Love, safe from the traps of the enemy. I pray that they would be strengthened in ministry and that you would send holy servants to assist them in their kingdom work. May this holy night be for them a new beginning in holiness and love of the Word, Jesus Christ, who is Lord forever and ever. And I thank you! Amen.

Ezra 6:3 King Cyrus issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt.”

“My beloved, can there be any doubt that my house must be rebuilt? Yet, I do not speak of a temple made of stones, but the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is the human heart. Humanity has pulverized the temple within their own breasts. Now the exile begins, when each one feels the absence of God. Woe to you! There is much to suffer. Yet, I issue a decree: The temple of the human heart shall be rebuilt. What you labour for will come to birth, not stillborn, but robust, healthy, and strong. You will rejoice at the new life of the temple and will think on the sufferings no more. Once the temple of the human heart has been put in right order, all else will naturally follow. Then do not fear the sufferings of the present moment, but let your panting and pushing usher in a new era of peace and abundant joy.”

O Father, thank you! Give us strength in the Divine Will to bring to birth the Era of Peace. Take all our panting and pushing and use it all for your glorious purposes. Help us to remain faithful, even in time of dire darkness and abandonment. Let our wills be one with yours so that in every moment we may say with Jesus and Mary, “Fiat! Here I am Lord, I come to live in your holy and adorable Will.” Amen.

Ephesians 4:11-13 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

“My beloved, I have not left you orphaned but have equipped and sent you out for ministry. My gifts are not to be treated lightly but taken to heart and used for each one’s unique purpose. Are all apostles the same? Do all prophets carry the same message? All evangelists the same method? No. Each one is equipped in a unique way. It is wrong to compare them, for each one will be judged according to how they used what was given to them. Woe to those who bury their talent in the ground! Children, discern carefully the gifts you have been given and do not be afraid to use them for the building up of the kingdom—‘to the measure of the full stature of Christ.’ Do your part, and do not judge how faithful others are to their calling. Instead, pray for all, that as more souls fulfill their God-given purpose, the coming of the kingdom will be hastened.”

O my Jesus, forgive me for the times I have failed in my calling. Increase my fervour. Give me wisdom and insight to know in each moment how it is that you want me to build up the kingdom. Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth. Maranatha! Amen.

Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

“Children do not fear persecution. It is a sign of great favor. Do not fear that which can harm the body, but cling to me as a little child clings to its mother or father. Let go of your fears. Trust in me. Know that I am most near to you in your times of great trial. Remain steadfast. Defend me and I will defend you—it is that simple. Those who do not lose faith will be richly rewarded. Ah, but this is not difficult—even under duress—for the one who places all her trust in me and none in herself. Left to yourself, you will crumble and fall. But I am ready with untold gifts if you place all your trust in me. Yet, even if you crumble, draw near to me and I will move you faster and farther than you dreamed possible. Give me your weakness and let me transform it. Do you see now why you must not be afraid? Look at me. See my love for you. Enter into my pierced heart. There you will be perfectly safe. Come to me, my children. Draw near.”

O my Jesus, give us joy in all circumstances, the joy of knowing that you are near, so near to us. Take your hand, Jesus, and lift us into your pierced heart. Plant us firmly there, Beloved, so that we will not be put to shame, but will use the gifts you offer to defend you and your Bride. Jesus, I trust in you. I love you! By your grace, may your name always be glorified in me. Amen.

The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’ (Luke 10:17-20)

One of the titles of St. Joseph is “Terror of demons”, which I was reminded of recently, when I had the privilege of making a pilgrimage to St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. There in the votive chapel there are stations devoted to St. Joseph under some of his titles, one of which is St. Joseph, Terror of Demons. I certainly lit a candle at that station!

St. Joseph, Terror of Demons

My trip to Montreal was a blessing from beginning to end! Although we saw many churches and did other things while there, the highlight for us were our two visits to St. Joseph’s Oratory, the preeminent shrine in Canada, fitting since St. Jospeh is the patron saint of Canada. The founder of the Oratory was a humble, simple, uneducated man named Brother André Bessette, who was canonized in 2010. His life is extraordinary, so much so that at one point the secular press dubbed him “The Miracle Man of Montreal”. His story is well worth telling.

Brother André was born Alfred Bessette, the eighth of 12 children in a devout French Catholic home in the Montreal area. He was frail even from the time of his birth, and was sickly for all of his life. Consequently, he spent a good deal of time as a child in the company of his saintly mother, who passed on to him her deep devotion to St. Joseph. When Alfred was nine years old his father died in a tragic accident. From that time on, he took St. Joseph to be his father. Three years later his mother also died, and Alfred and his siblings, now orphaned, were sent to various relatives and friends to be cared for. In order not to be a burden to his aunt and uncle Alfred soon started to look for work. However, due to his frail health and chronic stomach pains, he never held a job for very long. He could not eat much and only grew to be 4’ 10” tall. His smallness and weakness made him unfit for manual labor, and he had difficulty keeping a job.

At one point Alfred went south to work in the textile mills in Connecticut, where providentially, he learned to speak English. However, that too ended, and he wound up back in Montreal, where he re-connected with Father André, his spiritual director. Fr. André sent him to the Congregation of the Holy Cross with the note, “I am sending you a saint.” Initially the congregation rejected him, as he was too frail and uneducated to become a priest, but Archbishop Ignace Bourget of Montreal intervened on his behalf, and Alfred entered the novitiate, receiving the religious name of Brother André, after his beloved spiritual director. They assigned this lowly brother to be doorman of Notre Dame College. He often joked, “When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door, and I remained 40 years.”

As doorman, Brother André met a lot of people. He got to know them personally and prayed for each of them, regularly only sleeping a couple of hours per night if at all. He would often tell the pilgrims, “Pray to St. Joseph; I will pray with you,” and regularly used a St. Joseph medal, or the oil from the lamp burning in front of his statue as a sacramentals in his prayers for healing. Soon, healings were reported and Brother André’s ministry and fame spread. Before long, thousands of people per week were making the pilgrimage to request his prayers. About the use of sacramentals, Brother André would say, “Such things are acts of love and faith, of confidence and humility. Can one bargain with the good God? The best way…is to submit to His will.”

Oil burning in front of the statue of St. Joseph

Brother André always gave credit for the miracles to St. Joseph. He longed to build a small oratory to St. Joseph. His superior told him he would have to raise the money himself, so he started by cutting the hair of the students at 5 cents a head. When he had raised $200 he was able to build a small oratory, or place of prayer. It was completed in 1904. However, as soon as it was completed it was already too small for the thousands of visitors who were coming each week. Work was begun on what is now called “The Crypt Church” which could hold 1,000 people. This was completed in 1917. However, it seemed a still larger building was needed, so in 1924 work was begun on the Oratory we see today. There were delays and problems—not surprising given the gargantuan undertaking that it was. At one point, during the Depression, they ran out of money to complete the dome. Brother André said, “Put a statue of St. Joseph in the middle of the building. If he wants a roof over his head, he’ll get it.” Within

two months, funds were provided by the many grateful souls that had been helped by his prayers, some of whom were quite wealthy. The current Oratory was not completed until 1967, 30 years after the death of Brother André!

St. Josph’s Oratory 2016

Brother André died in 1937 at age 97. It was estimated that over one million people filed past his casket at his funeral—all this long before social media! It is also estimated that over 10,000 miracles were attributed to his prayers while he lived! My grandmother was one of those healed through his intercession. At a young age, she became deaf. As the family lived near Montreal, her parents took her to see Brother André. He prayed for her to St. Joseph and she was cured. My mother also made a pilgrimage to Montreal in 1947 at the age of 17. So, of course Brother André, St. Joseph, and the Oratory hold a very special place in my heart.

As I mentioned, Brother André never took any credit for the healings himself, but always gave credit to St. Joseph. In the same vein, when I visited the Oratory I got a very clear impression, that St. Brother André was giving first place to St. Joseph. The first room we encountered after entering the building was the votive chapel, where pilgrims can light candles at any of the nine stations depicting titles of St. Joseph: Patron of the Church, Patron of families, Patron of the sick and suffering, Terror of demons, etc. I felt a strong presence in the votive chapel. St. Joseph himself seemed to be welcoming us. By contrast, St. Brother André’s tomb is off in a side room, out of the way. He seems to be saying to all visitors, “Pray to St. Joseph; I will pray with you.” It is a very moving experience.

Votives burning in front of the statue of St. Joseph, Patron of the Church

In the gift shop we were able to find some relics, medals, and holy oil. I brought a good many items for friends and family. I was able to have the items blessed on site, and then touched the medals to the tomb of St. Brother André, thus making them third class relics.

I remembered all of you and your prayer requests at the Oratory, lit some candles, left your needs in the prayer depository of St. Brother André. There is so much more I could share, but perhaps this has just given you a reason to go there yourself.

Depositing my prayer requests

As a Canadian, St. Joseph is very important to me. In addition to being Patron of Canada, he is also Patron of the Church, and Patron of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, my home diocese.

In reflecting on the life of St. Brother André one thing that occurred to me was that his mission and ministry in life was not primarily one of healing, but of making St. Joseph more well known and loved, of increasing devotion to him for the greater glory of God. I believe God means this to be the era of Mary and Joseph. The Church has had 2000 years in which to solidify her theology and establish Jesus Christ as her true and only centre. However, it seems that Jesus wants his Mother and Foster-Father to be more well known and loved now. He is bringing them out from behind the veil as if to say, “Children, here are your Mother and Foster-Father. Listen to them, as I do.”

We are living in extraordinary times. Grace abounds and the Divine assistance, which knows no limits is being poured out for us. May our love for and trust in Jesus, Mary, and Joseph lead us all deeper into the heart of the Holy Family. Blessed be God in his angels and in his saints! Alleluia!

Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work.

“My child, if you now see more wickedness, if it appears that wickedness grows bolder by the day, is this not so that the Hunter might flush out the prey and slay them in plain sight? Your God is not silent in the face of evil. He is patient, allowing time for repentance, but also allowing those whose wickedness makes them arrogant, to come out of the shadows. Let the wicked come out like the pus in a boil; let not the festering continue and spread. When wickedness is exposed to light it loses its power. When Truth shines on it, it flees as from a flame. Children I am purifying my Bride. She is being scoured inside and out. The process is painful, but you, my children must rejoice! For I mean to restore my Bride to a glory never before seen. Watch and pray!”

Oh my Beloved! What joy to anticipate a glorious Church, a spotless Bride! In the Divine Will, I place my I love you and I thank you in all you are doing to accomplish this. Flush out the wickedness! Lance the boil! Shine your light of Truth over the whole world. Jesus I love you—take care of everything! Amen.

Psalm 116:10-11 I kept my faith, even when I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted’; I said in my consternation, ‘Everyone is a liar.’

“My beloved, do not be deceived but cling to me in every trial. Have I not said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’ (John 16:16)? Am I gone just because you can no longer see me? Do I cease to exist? Of course not! I AM! Then trust in me. My Church, my Body, is eternal. It can never be separated from me. It may appear to die, but only so that my greater glory may be revealed in it. I have been telling you for many years that there is much to come. I have warned you so that you will not lose faith. Trust in me with an act of the will—whether you feel it or not. It is at these times of abject dryness that your trust means the most. Your prayers of trust at such times shine to all the farthest reaches of heaven, and the Gloriana* rejoices. Ponder this well, my children. You will all be tested. Happy the one whose faith in me remains steadfast. Pray for this grace, my beloved. I will not deny it to anyone who asks.”

O my beloved Jesus! How you care for us! In the Divine Will and as your Eucharistic Agent, I beg for the grace of steadfast faith and enduring trust for myself and all those you have given me to pray for. Help us to always say with the Psalmist: “I kept my faith, even when I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted.’” Jesus I trust in you! Amen.

(*Gloriana: The angels and saints in perfect communion with the Blessed Trinity; the perfect unity of heaven.)

Ephesians 4:1-3 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

“Beloved child, the Body of Christ is being torn from without and within. Ponder these words (from Scripture). Do not be one who shreds the Body from the inside, as one who eats glass. Be as humble, sweet, and trusting as an infant at the breast. Do not pull away from the breast to wail over things that are not yours to change. Focus on what has been given to you. Do that well and completely and you will have peace and joy. You will be building a peaceful kingdom. You will be a herald of the Triumph of the Immaculate. Man your own tiller and no one else’s and you will be living in the will of God. Shalom, dear child.”

Heavenly Father, in the Divine Will I ask for grace upon grace in order that I might man my own tiller and no one else’s. Help me to keep my eyes on our Mother and be docile to her leading. May your Kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as in heaven, O God, my God! Amen.

(Note from Pelianito: Ephesians Chapter 4 has been an important, recurring passage in my journal. It speaks of unity in the Body of Christ, a theme that our Lord has particularly wished to stress with me. If you wish to read more messages that pertain to Ephesians Chapter 4, please click the link under “Pages” on the right.)

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